Marine biologist Caitlin Mouri explains some of the shells she found in the tide pools to Brixie Mathewson, 9, left, and her sister, Helene Mathewson, 7, in Dana Point . The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Gina Scolari and her grandson, Johnny Scolari, 4, peek in to a tide pool in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Marine biologist Caitlin Mouri leads a group of people to the tide pools in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Gina Scolari and her grandson, Johnny Scolari, 4, peek in to a tide pool in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Johnny Scolari, 4, carefully walks from rock to rock as he looks for signs of life the tide pools in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A sea slugs moves around a tide pool in Dana Point, California. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Helene Mathewson, 7, walks through the tide pools in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A sea anemone sits in a tide pool in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Visitors hike to the tide pools to the tide pools in Dana Point. The Ocean Institute is offering a series of guided hikes in the Dana Point Marine Conservation Area. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

DANA POINT – Johnny Scolari couldn’t contain his enthusiasm. The 4-year-old raced across the sand near the shoreline beneath the Dana Point Headlands, scampering over rocks and climbing boulders to get to tiny pools where hundreds of small ocean animals live.

“I’ve got one,” he yelled, confidently pointing at a brownish hermit crab scaling a rock near him. “There’s another one.”

The Dana Point resident was on a tide pool hike with his grandmother, Gina Scolari, 53, of San Clemente. Scolari had just returned from a 600-mile trek through France and Spain and wanted to continue to enjoy nature, now with her grandson.

The docent-led tide pool hikes at the Ocean Institute are popular in winter because of the alignment of Earth, the moon and the sun and its resulting gravitational pull on the tides. The effect leads to king tides – extremely high or low tides. In winter, the low tides occur more in the middle of the day, making it easier to get out to the tide pools.

Caitlin Mouri, a naturalist with the Ocean Institute, led the hikers to a path near the headlands. Twenty minutes in, rocks flattened out and hikers got a glimpse of the shallow pools.

The marine protected area runs along51/4 miles of shorelineunder the headlands from Seacliff Drive – south of Table Rock Beach – to the Dana Point Harbor West Jetty.A sea cave at the end of the hike is visible during especially low tides.

Mouri gave safety tips and explained tide pool etiquette: Most important, don’t touch the creatures, watch out for slippery and loose rocks, and test the area with the toe of your shoe to make sure you stay upright.

She took the hikers along the pools, from shallow areas where they saw hundreds of acorn barnacles, hermit crabs and sea snails camouflaged in the dry rocks, to deeper water where hikers looked for larger animals such as California sea hares that can grow up to 30 inches. The Ocean Institute has a 20-pound black sea hare in one of its research aquariums.

“As you move out further in the pools, you find sea anemone that are opened up and look like little green flowers,” Mouri said.

Gina Scolari and Mouri couldn’t believe the heap of sea hares they found.

“They were all lying on top of each other,” Scolari said. “Johnny was so excited. He took it all in. He was so intense.”

So much so, she said, that he wanted to grab a few of the critters to take home. But he quickly learned the rules.

“You can’t take them out of the water or they’ll die,” he said after the hike. “I’m going to tell everyone that.”

On this day, visitors saw hundreds of creatures and at least 17 species. The super moon the day before helped pull the tides back.

For Scolari, the experience was eye-opening.

“I go to this location often and watch sunsets,” she said. “I never knew all this was here. There is so much beauty here locally. It made me respect more of what we have here.”

Erika Ritchie reports on South Orange County coastal communities, military issues and Camp Pendleton for the OC Register. She explores everything from coastal access, environmental issues and marine life to city government, animal welfare and quality of life. She’s won many awards including first place in news (2016) by the Orange County Press Club for her coverage of record numbers of whale entanglements off the California coast. Erika’s covered military change of command and seen military affairs firsthand from the sea aboard a battleship, air from a MV-22 Osprey, and land including Pendleton’s International war games and San Clemente Island’s ordnance ranges. Journalism allows Erika’s penchant for telling human stories of conflict, struggle and joy. Her monthly Everyday Hero feature does just that, highlighting achievements of some of Orange County’s most dedicated volunteers and non-profit leaders. Since joining the Register in 2001, she’s at times covered every city in South Orange County delving into development, housing, transportation, county government and social issues. She’s often written about Saddleback Church and Pastor Rick Warren’s emerging national and global roles. Erika’s passionate about animals and outdoor adventure. She runs, stand-up paddles and skis - both alpine and x-country. She frequents Mammoth Lakes and Mountain for hiking, biking & skiing and for her dogs to frolic in the snow and lakes. She grew up bilingual in German and conversational in French.